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• 4. Typical Degree Structures

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In order to provide some basis for comparison between the results of the survey and the information published annually by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors' Committee, the structure of a "typical" degree with an IT-related major subject was assessed using the "relevance value" system used for the comparison of individual courses.

Degree structures vary widely amongst different universities. A BSc degree takes three years of full time study. Some universities (such as Canterbury and Auckland) have a four year BSc(Honours) degree while Victoria has a BSc(Honours) degree as a one year graduate course following on from a BSc degree. Both BE and BE(Honours) degrees are four year undergraduate courses.

Table 8 shows the numbers of "relevance value points" (RVP) that would be accumulated by a student taking a typical degree in an IT-relevant major subject at a number of New Zealand universities. Note that the table only lists courses making up requirements for majors, or minimum requirements in IT-relevant areas, as described in university Calendars.

There is a wide variation, from 36 RVP for a Computer Science major for a BSc from Canterbury and Auckland, to 138 RVP for a BSc(Honours) from Otago University. It would seem reasonable to take a midpoint in this range as the RVP for a "typical" degree with a major in an IT-relevant area, say 70-90 RVP.

On this basis, given the overall RVP score of 174,736, the current survey has "discovered" the equivalent of between 1,950 and 2,500 subject majors in 1999 from IT-relevant areas.

Table 8. Comparison of "Relevance Value Points" for Typical IT-Relevant Degrees